The tigers are tame, having been raised as babies by the Monks, and are never fed raw meat, only cooked meat. The pictures were amazing, and being the animal lover that I am, that was on my list of “things to do” while in Thailand.

Unfortunately, the Tiger Sanctuary is not close enough for me to go visit, but the second best option is a hop skip and a jump away from Chiang Mai, Tiger Kingdom in Mai Rim.

Yesterday I finally had a chance to go check out the Tiger Kingdom. I went with my daughter-in law Pink, my granddaughter Abigail, and a good friend Terei.

While I have always wanted to check out the Tiger Kingdom, it is still done with a bit of hesitation, I am very opinionated when it comes to animals, and the way we treat them. I do not support animal exploitation for profit, nor do I support the abuse of animals in the farming industry, which is why I choose to be vegetarian.

That being said, I am here to share my experience with you. Colored as it may be by my radical viewpoints.

Tiger Kingdom is free to enter, you can walk around and see the tigers, and have lunch at a Buffet restaurant and watch the tigers while you eat, but you must pay to enter the cages with the tigers.

The tigers are separated into several categories, babies, little, medium, and big. They range in age from 6 months to 2 years old. You can chose to visit just one size, or buy a package and go cage hopping to experience all sizes.

They only allow children into the baby tiger’s cage, so for Pink and Abigail we bought the single ticket. Terei and I decided to go for the package of baby, small, medium and large.

Included with the price of admittance to the cages is an insurance policy. Hmmm, was that a good thing or a bad thing? Nice to know it was there, but would we need it??? How safe was this experience going to be?

Before entering the baby tiger cage, you must wash your hands, exchange your shoes for their flipflops, and read the rules posted outside each cage. No loud noises, no quick movements, you may rub their belly’s and their backs, but do not touch their heads or feet, do not approach from behind, no teasing, listen to the staff, etc.

Entering the baby cage was no problem, they are very playful and cute, so cute Abigail quickly made best friends with one of the cubs.

Sharing a moment in time

Each tiger has their own trainer closely watching them and monitoring their behavior. They carry 12 inches sticks, and prod the tigers with a light tap to discourage certain behaviors, such as swatting at people with their paws.

The tigers are all born at the Kingdom, and raised and trained from birth. According to one of the trainers Terei and I chatted with, the tigers are only kept a couple of years, then sent to a zoo where they are taught to hunt on their own, and are eventually released in the jungles somewhere between Thailand and Cambodia. I don’t know if this is true, seems highly unlikely to me. Seems rather dangerous for the animals to be released in the wild after training them to be comfortable around people.

Pink with a baby cub

When I asked him whether they tracked the animals once they released them, he said he did not know, it was his first day on the job. As far as food, when questioned about raw versus cooked meat, he said the tigers were fed raw chicken.

You are allowed 10 minutes in with the babies, and 15 minutes with all other sizes.

Terei and I moved on to the next size up, while Pink and Abigail walked around the Kingdom,

On our way to the Tiger Kingdom that morning, I discovered that Terei had no idea that you could actually go into the cages with the tigers. She thought we would just be observing them from outside the cages. Luckily Terei is an adventurous spirit, and had no problem switching gears from being outside the cage to inside the cage!

Terei enjoying an up close and personal moment with a small Tiger

For me it was a surreal experience. Seeing the tigers up so close and being able to touch and feel them was amazing, and of course I appreciated the photo opportunity.

Close up of Tiger paw

As we progressed from one size to the next, my apprehension did grow a little. When we were finally in the cage with the big tiger, I was becoming a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Tigers are nocturnal creatures, sleeping about 18 hours a day. The big tiger was asleep, and the trainer was prodding him with his 12 inch stick to get him to wake up, and the tiger did not seem too pleased about that. My instincts for survival grew as this angry tiger awoke and started moving around the space, which is not all that big to begin with.

Not too happy about being woken up

Terei was a lot more comfortable with the big tigers than I was, in fact I think she was more comfortable with all of it than I was. She was very relaxed and enjoyed the experience, I felt like I was a bit removed from the situation, almost in a dream state.

After we left, I was able to analysis what had just happened with a clearer mind, and formed my opinion about the Tiger Kingdom. The animals do not seem to be abused per say, and while some say the tigers are fed tranquilizers to keep them calm, the trainers all denied that allegation.

The tigers spend their day in a small cage being prodded to stay awake so people can come in for a photo opportunity with the tigers. The Kingdom is open from 9:00am to 6:00pm, which seems like a long time for the tigers. From what I understood about the Monk’s Sanctuary, they were only open a couple hours a day, and that seems like a better compromise.

I am really glad I went, it was a unique experience, feeling the size of the tiger underneath your hand is awesome, I was impressed with their massive size and strength. Beautiful, powerful animals. But I would not go back a second time.

Would I recommend visiting Tiger Kingdom while in Chiang Mai? That is totally up to you. For the most part the other people visiting seemed to be enjoying the experience, whether it is fair for the tigers is questionable.

The fact that they only serve a two or three year sentence as props for human curiosity and photo ops is good, but what really happens to them when they become to big and old for even the handlers to safely be around them? Are they really released into the wild?

I have added a few of the photos I was able to get of the tigers in a new gallery Tiger Wallpapers, if you would like to see more pictures of these incredibly beautiful animals.

While having mixed feelings, I did enjoy the opportunity

America is chock full of rules and regulations over what you can and can not do, Thailand is still at that stage where your life is not totally controlled by laws.

Probably one of the things I will miss the most is driving without the fear of being pulled over and given a ticket. Here in Thailand, there are rules of the road, which most people seem to follow, but there is no enforcement of the rules. It is up to the people on the road to drive safely.

The other major issue I have with America is the way they have taken away the right for an individual to play online poker. Now that one really bothers me.

I really use to enjoy playing tournament poker, both Texas Hold’em and 5 Card Draw. Gambling is allowed in many States, at Casinos that have the edge, while online tournament poker is more of a skill game than a Casino rip-off, yet it is banned

In Europe, the people are allowed to choose whether they want to participate at an online poker site, and I envy that freedom. Many of you, my visitors, come from countries other than the U.S., where you have that freedom.

Online poker sites, such as PartyPoker, offer a lot more than gambling. They provide a place for like minded people to play together in poker tournaments, and test their skills against one another.

PartyPoker offers a free download, so there is no cost to join, in fact they give you a bonus when you join, and you get to compete in a freeroll tournament too, which means you play for free in a tournament and win real cash.

If I lived anywhere else but America, I would be able to join in all the fun and play tournaments, win a little, lose a little, and enjoy the challenge.

Perhaps when I get back to America I will have to join the fight to lift the ban on online gaming. It is an unfair law that oversteps the boundary of what a government should be controlling in the personal choice an individual has in their life.

I still get excited when I get mail, especially when it comes from a visitor to my website! For me it is the opportunity to make a connection with a real live human being who is out there on the other side of the internet.

I use to say having a website was a lonely business, visitors come and go to your website, but there is no real contact. But every now and then someone responds, and it makes every minute I spend working on my site worth it.

Yesterday I received a very friendly email from a gentleman from the U.K asking for permission to use one of my photos as a model for a painting he is working on. I am always impressed with people who ask permission to use my images, and extremely honored that they even want to!

He sent me a link to his site to share some of his previous work, and I was so wowed with his talent I just had to share a link with you. Visit Krats Gallery to see some really impressive animal artwork.

I am so excited he is using one of my photos for his next painting. Can’t wait to see it!

This morning I had 326 Spams in my Comments file. (Thank goodness for Akismet!). Generally I will glance through them just to see if there are any genuine comments, because if someone takes the time to make a comment I want to acknowledge it.

Some spams are so ridiculous, they don’t even pretend to be real. The comment is basically a list of 30 – 50 website links, mostly to viagra and other pharmaceutical websites. Delete!

Why would anyone waste their time posting these obnoxious spams? Does any blogger really publish them? Why?

Then there are the pretentious spams, “Hey dude, you really hit the nail on the head with this article”, and it is posted to my photo of a flower. LOL!

Somewhere all of these people are getting very bad advice about spamming blogs. You can tell when they have all read the same bogus information, because their spams all sound alike.

It’s like they don’t have a brain in their head, cannot even be creative with their spam, just copy what they are told to spam and think they will actually get results from their foolish and irritating behavior.

I understand people want links out there to their own sites, and commenting on someone else’s blog is one way to get those backlinks. But if you are going to just wildly spam other people’s blogs, it kind of gives a clue about what kind of trashy website you might have to begin with.

I do enjoy getting comments on my site, who doesn’t like feedback? But Spams are very depressing to me. Just such a low form of self promotion that is unproductive and insulting.

If any of you spammers happen to read this, let me give you a friendly piece of advice. I know why you are spamming, but if you are really serious about improving your ranking with the Search Engines, why don’t you try actually doing something that will help?

If you need some advice and help on the matter, and not more dribble from con artists that convince you spamming is the way to go,  visit SEO Local Marketing Services for a few ideas of what you can do to actually improve your search engine position.

Having a website is like having a business. What you put into it is what you will get out of it. If you want to post a real comment, related to my website and content, I would be more than happy to publish it and provide the link back you are so desperately looking for.

Ranting over. Thanks.

I started a new category today, Bugs! Some are common bugs, like the Lady Bug and my picture of bees, but some are pretty strange looking, others are very colorful.

If you have a favorite photo you have taken of a bug or insect, I would love to add it to my collection! Simply go to my Facebook Page where you can easily upload your image, and I will post it here.

Enjoy the bugs! And be glad they are not in your house!

My site has not done too badly, I do get quite a few visitors from around the world (you are here!) but I want MORE.

My personal goal is to be found for the search term “Wallpapers” on Google. Lofty aspirations.

You may wonder why I care, and the reason is really simple. I love sharing my photography, not because it is spectacular, but it is a way to share how I see the world, a form of communication that transcends language.

The satisfaction of all the work I put into my site is rewarded knowing someone has stopped by and looked, maybe even enjoyed an image or two.

One of my inspirations for creating a Fan Page for my Wallpaper site was found on a website I stumbled upon about websites and community. It was a very interesting and informative blog post.

The post was talking about Craig Newmark, the creator of Craig’s List, and how he created a community around a simple idea. Just how successful and far reaching is this community?

Quick story. As you know if you have read any of my previous posts, I am living in Thailand. I am about to make big changes in my life once again, I decided to give up my beloved Condo to house sit and dog sit for a friend in need.

My lease is not up until December, so I was facing losing 2 months deposit with this decision, which in reality is all of my savings.

So I decided to post an ad on Craig’s List (yep, we do have a Craig’s List here in Thailand!) and within 2 hours I had a phone call, they came over, fell in love with the place as I had, I can now go help my friend without losing my life savings! Amazingly powerful community that he has built.

So back to my new Face Book Fan page. I have big plans for this page, hope you will stop by and check it out. But more important, I hope you will get involved!

It will be a few weeks before my Fan Page really jumps into gear, as I will be tied up with the process of packing up and moving over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, the article that inspired me that I mentioned earlier was on the website of Jivaldi Fluid Communications, a site worth checking out if you are interested in websites and community. Very informative and interesting articles and blog posts.

Perhaps you would like to take a guess at what I plan on doing with my Fan Page??

It all started with an opportunity to travel and see some really beautiful sights. With my new digital camera I was able to try and capture the incredible beauty I was discovering and share it with others.

But my passion does not end with the taking of a picture. Editing my photos is a big part of my hobby, playing with different filters, discovering new tools.

Sharing my photos via the internet is also part of my passion related to photography. That desire to share led to learning how to build websites, which I have discovered is a full time job.

What it boils down to is I am usually on my computer 8 – 10 hours a day. I have two monitors, I can’t even imagine trying to work on a computer without the benefit of two screens.

My passion for photography, editing, and website building, brought me to a point where I was feeling so inspired, I set up another website where I could share motivational stories and quotes, and I made up a few special wallpapers with inspirational quotes.

I am now working on another website, I am going back through my vast collection of photos, and working with a collection of quotes that I really find inspiring.

While working on this new project, it occurred to me that I have such a nice collection of quotes, too bad someone would  have to pick just one for their desktop wallpaper. They would be great for a screen saver, and then the idea of a wallpaper changer, similar to how a screensaver rotates through many images, popped into my head.

New Discovery
My first thought was to call my son and ask him if it would be possible to build a little application that would rotate desktop backgrounds. Before grabbing my phone in a knee jerk fashion, I decided to investigate first, and did a search for “wallpaper changer, and to my happy delight, found just what I was thinking about, and it was free!

With a bit of a struggle I installed the program on my computer, and IT WORKS!

Okay, so I have been working with wallpapers for over 10 years now, and I just now learned about wallpaper rotators.

Whenever I make a new discovery I like to share it, just in case there are others who also may not be aware of it.

Screensaver vs Desktop Background
The difference between a screensaver and your wallpaper is that the screensaver only shows when your computer is idle, where as your background shows up every time you go to your desktop.

The desktop wallpaper changer tool  that I installed provides a choice of how often to rotate, and I have mine set on every 30 minutes. I am so excited by this discovery I just had to share it.

For me, this adds even more meaning to my wallpaper collection. Now instead of manually changing my wallpaper, I simply add a new image to my wallpaper folder, and it jumps into cue to be enjoyed as a  desktop wallpaper.

Finding your Changer
There are so many wallpaper changer programs out there, to find one for your particular computer set-up, just do a search. I personally opted for a changer from Wallpaper Changer.de, but that is based on my computer configuration, I have a PC, use Windows XP for my Operating System, and Firefox for my browser. What works for my computer may not work for yours.

A few search terms you may want to consider:

• free ware wallpaper changer
• desktop wallpaper changer
• wallpaper rotator software
• desktop wallpaper rotator
• wallpaper rotator vista
• wallpaper changer
• apple wallpaper changer

Give it a try now and find the perfect wallpaper changer for your computer set-up!

Custom Search



Ultimate Control
Adding a wallpaper changer to manage your desktop background will alter the way you see your wallpaper collection! Adding new wallpapers becomes more significant as they are now put automatically into play.

I find it quite exciting to discover a new background image whenever I visit my desktop through the course of one day!

It was very hard to find, I checked all the walls, the ceiling, looking for where it might be laying in wait. I live in a studio condo, so there are not that many places to hide. Satisfied that I had caught and killed the enemy, I climbed into bed with a smile of satisfaction knowing I had a peaceful night’s sleep ahead of me.

Just as I was settling into my comfort zone, and visions of sugarplums were beginning to dance in my mind, bzzZZZZZZ! I was under attack by ANOTHER mosquito! I am always amazed at how loud they are, and much how they sound like what I would imagine a dive bomber would sound like.

Mosquito Attack!

I grabbed my mosquito bat, and the war was on. I lay there in the dark, with my trusty bat in hand, waiting for the next wave of attack. bzzzzZZZZZZZ, ZAP! On my first try I got that little sucker, the dark room momentarily lit up as the mosquito fried.

Ah, relief, once again I settled in, getting all comfy and ready to drift off into never never land, bzzzZZZZZZ! Again! I couldn’t believe it! A third mosquito! I can’t even imagine where they were hiding, when I had done my first search earlier in the evening around the ceiling and walls I had seen no signs of mosquitoes, and usually I am pretty good about spotting them.

I have been living in my condo for 3 months now, and prior to last night, I had only had 2 separate encounters with the nasty little pests. Three in one night! What was going on??

Well, they must have been having a party, because three more showed up, one after the other. In total I killed 7 mosquitoes last night, 1 before getting in bed, and the 6 attacking me in bed.

One of the things that bothers me the most is that the mosquito seems to KNOW when I am on the verge of falling asleep, and wait until then to attack. What is it they are sensing that gives them the signal to “CHARGE!”?

With spring upon us, and the promise of warm weather drawing us to BBQ’s and enjoy outdoor living, my thoughts turn to the problem mosquitoes pose. Sitting outside after dusk you are likely to be attacked by these pesky little buggers, which can put a damper on truly relaxing and enjoying the outdoors. Unlike in a quiet room at night, you may not necessarily hear them attacking, but you will feel their bite.

The bite is not all that bad, I mean come on, a mosquito is a tiny little bug, weighing just 1/15,000 ounce, how big can their teeth be? The problem is the possible diseases they may be carrying that can be passed on to you through those tiny little teeth. In America it is West Nile Disease that you have to be wary of. I am living in Thailand, so the main disease we worry about getting from a mosquito is Denque Fever, although there are a few others, such as Chikungunya fever, Malaria, or Japanese encephalitis.

I decided to do a little research to find out what draws them to us. Insect repellants like DEET can help keep them away, as can Citronella candles. But who wants to wear insect repellant every time you go in your backyard, or burn Citronella candles, which some people may find obnoxious and unpleasant to be around?

What I discovered is that when we breathe, we exhale carbon dioxide, and combined with the warmth of our breath, and the smell of our skin, it draws mosquitoes to us as if we were ringing a dinner bell.

I found one source to combat the mosquito problem quite efficiently. Apparently, some genius has come up with a mosquito trap that simulates a living breathing human that mosquitoes are drawn to, where they are trapped and kept safely away from biting you and being a nuisance, but even more important also helps to eliminate the health threat of the bite passing any disease to you and your family.

Keep Your Family Safe! Shop Now for the #1 Mosquito Trap in America! MosquitoMagnet.com

Controlling the mosquitoes in your yard not only helps you to enjoy your backyard more, but also reduces the number of mosquitoes that may invade your home, which helps end those late night attacks as you are falling asleep at night. Definitely something I can sleep with!

Get ready for summer, and enjoy the outdoors with your family and friends, Light up that BBQ and enjoy a relaxing evening without inviting a flurry of flying pests to bother you! Check out the Mosquito Magnet and see how it can help you enjoy your summer evenings even more!

While these are applaudable resolutions, how many of us stick to the plan once the New Year starts rolling around? We tend to fall back to our old habits, grabbing a quick meal at a fast food place a little too often, ignoring our new membership at the local gym, and basically go about our business as usual.

Don’t lose hope! If you have strayed from your resolutions, it is never too late to get back on track!

Try incorporating a few new habits into your daily life, so the change becomes natural and soon is part of your regular routine.

Walk More
Walking is one of the best exercises, yet we tend to avoid walking whenever possible! We drive to the store and look for the closet parking spot we can find. Ever notice how many spots are available on the outer edge of parking lots?

Consciously decide to take a walk each day, and do it. There is an opportunity to walk more everyday, you just need to find it. An after lunch stroll, an evening walk after dinner, parking your car a little further away from your destination, it all adds up in the end.

The great thing about walking is that it tends to slow you down, you may begin to notice more about your surroundings, discover interesting things about your immediate environment that you miss when speeding by in a car paying attention to the road. Like flowers, or interesting architecture, or perhaps a store you hadn’t noticed before.

Eat Less
We all tend to overeat, especially in America. Portions are often bigger than we need to fill us, yet we consume the whole enchilada. Try cutting back, pay attention to when your body says it is full, and stop eating.

If you are prone to snack attacks, keep healthy snacking foods available, avoid grabbing for a candy bar for energy, or potato chips as a “in-between” appetite appeaser.

Keep fresh fruits around, and eat them! An apple can be an amazingly sweet, crunchy alternative to candy and chips. Next time you are craving something sweet, grab some grapes! Or strawberries! Or a pear, kiwi, or sliced fresh pineapple.

Natural Supplements
Adding natural supplements to your daily routine can also have a positive effect on your health. As hard as we try, we just may not be getting all of the nutrients and vitamins that our bodies require for optimum performance.

There are many vitamins that are crucial to our health such as Vitamin D-3, that we do not get from our diets. Did you know that people with optimal vitamin D levels have greater success on a weight-loss program? When people are low in vitamin D levels it affects their mood, ability to lose weight, physical performance, and immune system function. It is estimated that 70% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D3.

There are many other supplements your body may benefit from, and I have found one store that carries a good selection of natural products that may benefit your health. Quest for Advanced Condition carries a wide selection of products to help with hormone balance, energy boosters, fat loss and diet supplements, detox cleansers, fiber and colon cleansers, even pain management nutritional supplements, and of course Vitamin D3.

Do a little research and add a few supplements to your daily routine, and see if you feel an overall improvement in your health.

Not sure where to begin? You can take a simple Lifestyle
Questionnaire to give you an idea of what you may be missing.

What ever your resolutions are for 2011, I hope you are successful in achieving your goals, and that you have a healthy and happy year!

In the past, we created photo albums with our printed photos, which were easy to share when family and friends came over, or we enjoyed browsing our albums ourselves and taking a trip down memory lane.

A benefit of digital photography is the elimination of the expense of developing and printing photos. The downside, as I mentioned earlier, is the accumulation of images on your computer. Now that you have all of these great photos you have taken, what do you do with them?

One solution is to create slideshows with our digital images. This can become a productive hobby that will help you organize and share your digital photos.

Having the right tools is half the battle when creating slideshows. I recently came across a program that I highly recommend if you have no clue about how to create a slideshow. With this particular photo slideshow software you are able to belnd together your photos with music, fancy designs, and amazing transition affects. You also have the option of preparing your slideshow format to view on smart phones, iPhone, iPod, PSP, on a personal computer, create a DVD, or post on the Web. Lots of choices made easy with the software.

The program is very easy to use, and will guide you through the steps to create a professional looking slideshow, with music, to share with your friends and family.

Once you create your slideshow, you can share it on Facebook, send it to friends, post it on YouTube, keep it in your slideshow library and watch yourself when that urge to stroll down memory lane takes hold of you!

You can even make your own computer screensaver, and have total control over the way the slideshow appears, such as the time line and transition between images. Once you get started, and understand how easy the process is, you will have a blast creating your own slideshows and screensavers!

Below is a sample of what you can do with your images with the photo slideshow software.

Finally there is something you can do with all of those images sitting idly on your computer in files that no one can see or enjoy!